Originally posted by stavka:
Moe's statement has always puzzled me - it sort of implies that he knows he's going to be muscled out or in-on by somebody - otherwise, why must he talk to Barzini about "the deal" if he refuses Michael?
I think Moe's problem was cash flow.
I don't think he was necessarily worried about being "muscled out".
Don't forget -- altho we never see Hyman Roth in the first film, I think we may assume that given who the Moe Greene character was clearly modeled after, he had a powerful mentor in the backround who wasn't going to let his pal Moe get muscled.
"Your casino loses money" Michael tells Moe Greene.
My guess is that Michael thought that Moe was skimming a bit too much, hence his
very sarcastic comment to Moe: "You're unlucky".
If there's one thing that's practically an impossibility, it's the proposition that over the long haul a casino can lose money.
But apparently - altho it was probably Moe's greed in skimming more off the top than the business could support - Moe and his casino had a cash flow problem, and needed an infusion of money to keep operating.
So he talks to Barzini.
(BTW, I always loved the way Moe pronounces the word "talked".
Almost like "tocked" -- like with a Boston accent. Certainly not "tawked", the way a New Yawka would say it.)
